The 66 letters wre penned between March and September 1949, when the actress was 17 years old, and engaged to William Pawley, the son of a former United States ambassador.
They are a window into a truly romantic soul.
In one of the earliest, dated 28 March, Elizabeth wrote, "I want our hearts to belong to each other throughout eternity. I want us to be 'lovers' always, even after we've been married seventy-five years and have at least a dozen great-great-grandchildren."
In another, she vowed that she was "completely convinced" that he was "the only man in the world that I shall ever love."
His replies are not in the collection, but it is obvious that something went badly wrong.
In September, she was writing about giving back her diamond engagement ring, at his request. She was still devoted to him, seemingly, because she pleaded, "I know with all my heart and soul that this is not the end for us."
But it was the end, however. The actress went on to have seven husbands, none of them named William Pawley.
I wonder if he regretted it? That he kept the letters is an indication that he might have still felt a fondness for her, though the fact that he sold them a couple of years ago is a hint that he might have not.
1 comment:
Elizabeth Taylor always professed to despise Butterfield 8, though ironically it's the film for which she received her first Academy Award.
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